Communicator Age and Sex Role Orientation Differences in Preferred Relationship Termination Strategies.

Baxter, Leslie A.; Philpott, Jeffrey

A study examined two factors thought to affect an individual's preference for confrontation or avoidance strategies when ending a relationship--communicator age and sex role orientation. Subjects were 29 fifth grade students, 64 high school sophomores, 43 college students, and 37 adults enrolled in a night class. All subjects read a scenario from the Friendship Survey entitled "Letting Someone Know That the Friendship Is Over" and responded to a series of questions that elicited (1) a list of all possible strategies that could be used to terminate a relationship, (2) the strategy most preferred by the respondent, and (3) the reason for that preference. All respondents, except the fifth grade students, also completed the Bem Sex Role Inventory. Both fifth grade students and adults displayed a preference for confrontation as opposed to avoidance relationship termination strategies, whereas adolescents preferred avoidance strategies. Androgynous persons preferred confrontation strategies, while masculine sex-typed persons displayed the greatest preference for avoidance strategies. (FL)